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User blog:Cfp3157/The Warden's Party vs. Hawke's Party
The lands of Thedas are rife with conflict, with entire nations marching to war and magical monsters running rampant amongst the people. Every age, the people of Thedas need people to save them- paragons or renegades that take up arms to defend them. People like The Hero of Ferelden, the elven mage and Grey Warden that led his companions to recruit the armies of Ferelden and stopped the Fifth Blight in one year, and The Champion of Kirkwall, the apostate mage and immigrant to KIrkwall that led his companions to repell the Qunari Invasion and begin the Mage-Templar War! Magic, blades, and arrows will surround the battlefield as two powerful and tight-knit parties fight for the fate of Thedas. Between these two heroes, only one party can be...THE DEADLIEST WARRIOR!!! Foreword To save time and effort, I have provided explanation on each party member's role and the gist of what they do in terms of strategy. However, these do not explain each individual spell. It is heavily advised that each voter glimpse over descriptions on the links provided. The Warden's Party The Warden's Party are a group of various individuals gathered together by the Warden during his quest to stop the Fifth Blight. The group first began with Alistair, a Templar Grey Warden fresh from his Joining, and the Warden at the Battle of Ostagar. After the Darkspawn horde left the Grey Wardens decimated and the two remaining Wardens barely alive, the Witch of the Wilds Morrigan joined them at request of her mother, Flemeth. Leaving Flemeth's hut, they are joined by a stray mabari war dog that had bonded to the Warden. As they travel, the Warden is joined by a variety of eccentric and powerful warriors. The Warden then traveled across Ferelden, recruiting the Dalish, the Circle of Magi, and Bhelen Aeducan's dwarven armies. He then saved the Arl of Redcliffe, and the two stopped Loghain's coup, conscripting the general in the process. With his army gather, the Warden led the charge against the mighty Darkspawn horde. Defeating them at the gates of Denerim, the party makes final good-byes to all of their companions before leading a small force of his most trusted and powerful allies to defeat the Archdemon. Slaying the beast and ending the Fifth Blight, the party departs and scatters to the wind, with the Warden being stationed in Amaranthine to rebuild the order's station in Ferelden. Primary Party |-|Party Leader= The Warden The Warden wields Spellweaver, a longsword that increases magic resistance, and Howe's Shield, a heavy shield that increases fire and cold resistance, and wears Cailan's armor set, plate armor that decreases the cost of his spells. Despite being a mage, the Warden's magically enhanced constitution and strength lets him serve as the primary tank of the party. The Warden takes an extensive amount from the Spirit tree- his Telekinesis spells immobilize his foes or protect his allies, his Mana Drain trees let him weaken mages and prevent them from casting spells, and his Death tree lets him manipulate the life force of his targets. His Primal spells offer him several AoE and single target spells, letting him switch between the two to deal extensive damage. His Blood Mage tree lets him use his life force as a mana pool, while his Arcane Warrior tree balances it out by giving him enhanced strength and health at the cost of mana regeneration. Abilities: *'Blood Mage Spells': Full Tree *'Arcane Warrior Spells:' Full Tree *'Primal Spells:' **Fire Tree: Up to Fireball **Earth Tree: Up to Stonefist **Cold Tree: Up to Cone of Cold **Lightning Tree: Up to Shock *'Entropy Spells:' **Death Tree: Up to Drain Life *'Spirit Spells:' **Telekinesis Tree: Full Tree **Mana Drain Tree: Full Tree **Death Tree: Up to Virulent Walking Bomb *'Arcane Spells:' Up to Arcane Bolt |-|Caster= Morrigan Morrigan wields Wintersbreath, a staff that deals cold damage and increases her spellpower, and wears the Reaper's Vestments, a set of robes that increases her health. Serving as the party's debilitator, Morrigan balances her lack of damaging powers by utilizing several spells that set up her allies to deal more damage. This mostly comes from her Entropy spells- the Weakness tree does exactly what it sounds like, the Disorient tree stuns, horrify, and stop her foes, the Draining tree lets her take the life force of her foes and use it to her advantage, and the Hex tree afflicts her foes with various disadvantages. She borrows from the Cold and Lightning trees in the Primal spell family to give her some damage options. She specializes as a Shapeshifter, letting her transform into creatures to defend herself, and as a Blood Mage, to use her life force as a mana pool should she need to. Abilities: *'Shapeshifter Spells:' Full Tree *'Blood Mage Spells:' Up to Blood Wound *'Entropy Spells:' **Death Tree: Up to Curse of Mortality **Disorient Tree: Full Tree **Hex Tree: Full Tree **Weakness Tree: Up to Weakness *'Primal Spells:' **Cold Tree: Full Tree **Lightning Tree: Up to Lightning |-|Archer= Leliana Leliana wields Marjolaine's Recurve, a longbow that increases cunning, and wears The Felon's Coat, a leather cuirass that increases physical resistance. Serving as the party's marksman, Leliana utilizes all of her talents to aid her allies and cripple her foes. This mainly comes from her Archery talents- her Melee Archer tree focus on precision and discipline to ensure her shots do the most damage, her Pinning Shot tree provides several talents meant to disable, stun, or outright slaughter her enemies in a single arrow, and her Rapid Shot tree focuses on talents that let her release a swift volley of arrows at once. Her Rogue talents also assist her- the Stealth tree lets her disappear into the shadows, while her Rogue Melee talents give her some ways to stun and halt foes too close to her. Finally, her Bard talents give her several ballads that help her allies or halt her foes, and she borrows from the Assassin tree to weaken foes further. Abilities *'Bard Talents:' Full Tree *'Assassin Talents:' Up to Mark of Death *'Rogue Talents:' **Stealth Tree: Up to Stealth III **Below the Belt Tree: Full Tree **Dirty Fighting Tree: Up to Dirty Fighting *'Archery Talents:' **Melee Archer Tree: Full Tree **Pinning Shot Tree: Full Tree **Rapid Shot Tree: Full Tree |-|Magehunter= Oghren Oghren wields Nug Crusher, a maul that increases his stamina, and wears the Legion of the Dead armor, a set of plate armor that increases his health and damage. Focusing on all-out assault, Oghren is the party's primary melee combatant. His Warrior talents in the Powerful tree give him bonuses when he surrounds himself with enemies. He focuses most of his effort into the Two-Handed talents- his Pommel Strike tree focuses on precise, overwhelmingly powerful strikes against a single foe, his Sunder tree focuses on ruining an opponent's arms and armor, and his Mighty Blow tree lets him fully utilize the reach and power of his weapon to dish out as much raw damage as possible. He focuses on the Berserker tree, which lets him increase his damage output at the cost of stamina, and the Templar tree, which gives Oghren several abilities to weaken mages that remain out of his weapon reach. Abilities: *'Berserker Talents:' Full Tree *'Templar Talents:' Full Tree *'Two-Handed Talents:' **Pommel Strike Tree: Full Tree **Sunder Tree: Full Tree **Mighty Blow Tree: Full Tree *'Warrior Talents:' **Powerful Tree: Full Tree |-|Tank= Loghain Mac Tir Loghain wields Cailan's Arms, a longsword and kite shield that increase his stamina, damage, and increase his chances of dodging missiles, and wears the Warden Commander armor, plate armor that decreases the cost of talents and increases his health. A master of arms and honed by decades of battle, Loghain serves as the party's secondary tank. He takes full advantage of both Warrior trees, with the Powerful tree drawing opponents in and giving him more power per foe, and the Precise Striking letting him gain control of the flow of battle and taunt his foes. His Weapon and Shield talents provide several options for him- the Shield Block tree focuses on further enhancing his defensive capabilities, the Shield Defense tree offers several abilities that protect Loghain in the thick of melee, and the Shield Bash tree provides most of his offensive talents. He specializes in the Champion tree, utilizing his charisma and experience to falter foes and inspire allies, and the Berserker tree, letting him increase his offense and defense. Abilities: *'Champion Talents:' Full tree *'Berserker Talents:' Up to Berserk *'Weapon and Shield talents:' **Shield Block Tree: Full tree **Shield Defense Tree: Full tree **Shield Bash Tree: Full tree *'Warrior talents:' **Powerful Tree: Full tree **Precise Striking Tree: Full Tree |-|Healer= Wynne Wynne wields the Staff of the Magister Lord, a staff that does cold damage and increases willpower, and wears the First Enchanter's Robes, robes that increase her defense. Befitting her motherly and overbearing nature, Wynne is the party's only healer. She focuses almost entirely on defense, specializing almost exclusively in the Creation tree- her Heal tree gives her spells that restore her allies' health or mana/stamina, her Heroic tree provides several buffs that let her allies deal or protect from more damage, her Glyph tree provides several spells that stun and halt her foes, and her Spell Wisp tree provides several bonuses for her allies to take advantage of. Her Arcane tree attunes her ability to cast spells, while her Earth tree provides spells that manipulate the earth to attack her foes. Her Vessel of the Spirit and Spirit Healer spells let her heal allies on a group scale, even letting her revive them mid-combat. Abilities: *'Spirit Healer Spells:' Full tree *'Vessel of the Spirit:' Augmented *'Arcane Spells:' Up to Staff Focus *'Creation Spells:' **Heal Tree: Full tree **Heroic Tree: Up to Heroic Defense **Glyph Tree: Up to Glyph of Warding **Spell Wisp Tree: Full Tree *'Primal Spells:' **Earth Tree: Full tree |-|Rogue= Zevran Arainai Zevran wields the Biteback Axe, a war axe that increases backstab damage, and the Axe of the Grey, a war axe that increases armor penetration, and wears Wade's Superior Dragonskin armor, splintmail that decreases fatigue and increases fire resistance. An opportunist at heart, Zevran's focus is as a scrapper, finishing off foes that are too distracted to notice him. His Dual Weapon tree is where he focuses on actual combat- his Dual Weapon Training tree provides bonuses to his attack and skill, while his Dual Striking tree lets him lash out with decisive and destructive blows. He focuses mostly on his Rogue talents- his Dirty Fighting tree lets him distract foes and deal more damage against stunned foes, his Below the Belt tree makes him a more difficult foe to attack in melee, and his Stealth tree lets him slink away into the shadows. He specializes as an Assassin, finding and exploiting weaknesses in a foe's defenses, and as a Duelist, utilizing his speed and guile to outmaneuver and outstrike his opponents. Abilities *'Assassin Talents:' Full tree *'Duelist Talents:' Up to Keen Defense *'Rogue Talents:' **Dirty Fighting Tree: Up to Coup De Grace **Below the Belt Tree: Full tree **Stealth Tree: Up to Stealth III *'Dual Weapon Talents:' **Dual Weapon Training Tree: Full tree **Dual Striking Tree: Up to Cripple |-|Vanguard= Sten Sten wields The Summer Sword, a greatsword that increases physical resistance, and wears Juggernaut Plate Armor set, plate armor that increases his resistance to elemental attacks. A killing machine, Sten focuses on dealin extensive damage to his target with precision and dedication. His Warrior talents lie in the Precise Striking tree, letting him control the flow of battle for him and deal extensive damage with each blow, while borrowing from the Powerful tree. He also utilizes the Two-Handed talents- his Pommel Strike tree focuses on precise, overwhelmingly powerful strikes against a single foe, his Sunder tree focuses on ruining an opponent's arms and armor, and his Mighty Blow tree lets him fully utilize the reach and power of his weapon to dish out as much raw damage as possible. He focuses entirely into the Reaver tree, making himself more vulnerable at the cost of dealing an extraordinary amount of damage. Abilities: *'Reaver Talents:' Full Tree *'Warrior Talents:' **Powerful Tree: Full tree **Precise Striking Tree: Full tree *'Two-Handed Talents: **Pommel Strike Tree: Full tree **Sunder Tree: Full tree **Mighty Blow Tree: Full tree Hawke's Party Hawke's Party consists of the friends and companions of the Fereldan refugee and Champion of Kirkwall, Hawke. Enlisting with their sibling as a mercenary in Kirkwall, Hawke spent a year doing the occasional enforcement or bodyguard job until he joined the Tethras expedition, led by his soon to be best friend Varric. Recruiting several key companions including the Grey Warden Anders, Captain of the Guard Aveline Vallen, and several other mismatched companions. Hawke and Varric went into the Deep Roads in search of a lost dwarven thaig. Despite Varric's brother attempting to seal them in to thei deaths, Varric and Hawke escaped. Returning to Kirkwall, Hawke learned that his brother Carver had joined the Templars. During the next decade, Hawke would become influential in the events of Kirkwall. Despite forming a respectful relationship with them, Hawke led the resistance of Templars and mages during the Qunari uprising, where he killed the Arishok in single combat after it was revealed his lover Isabela stole a precious relic. They were also forced to pick sides in the first conflict of the Mage-Templar war, fighting for the mages. He led the defenses against the Templar's assault on the Gallows, before he was forced to kill First Enchanted Orsino and Knight-Commander Meredith. After the Battle for Kirkwall, the party scattered across the Free Marches, with Hawke leaving Kirkwall to try and draw attention from the city. |-|Party Leader= '''Hawke' Hawke wields The Hawke's Key, a staff that deals electric damage, may stun, and may regenerate health, and wears the Regalia of Weisshaupt, a set of Grey Warden mage armor that increases his resistances to fire, cold, nature, and electric damage. As the party's leader and main murder mage, Hawke utilizes spells that cover a wide area of damage to ensure taking down as many foes as possible. His spells in the Elemental and Primal trees are mostly area of effect, allowing him to do devastating damage in a relatively short period of time. His Force Mage specialization allows him to slow down and move his enemies around, while his Blood Mage spells ensure that Hawke never runs out of mana. Abilities: *'Elemental Spells:' **Activated: Winter's Blast, Deep Freeze, Apocalyptic Firestorm, Fireball *'Primal Spells:' **Activated: Golem's Fist, Chain Reaction, Strikes Twice *'Force Mage/Hawke is a Jedi:' **Activated: Maker's Hammer, Maker's Fury, Telekinetic Blast, Edge of the Abyss **Passive: Unshakable *'Blood Mage:' **Activated: Paralyzing Hemorrhage, One Foot In, Grim Sacrifice **Sustained: Bloodlust |-|Caster= Merrill Merrill wields The Final Thought, a staff that deals nature damage and increases spirit damage, and wears the Vestments of the First, robes that increase her overall health and health regeneration. As the party's secondary mage damage dealer, Merrill focuses on dealing incredible damage to a single foe. Her Primal spells let her stun any foes that try to attack her, while her Entropy spells weaken foes by putting them to sleep, cursing them, or rending their minds. Her Spirit spells turns her enemies' bodies against each other and dispel magic. Finally, her Dalish Pariah gives her a larger pool of mana to use spells, as well as giving her further defensive options when foes get too close and an additional area of effect spell. Abilities: *'Primal Spells:' **Activated: Golem's Fist, Desiccate, Chain Reaction **Sustained: Rock Armor *'Spirit Spells:' **Activated: Spirit Strike, Corrosive Walking Bomb, Virulent Walking Bomb, Dispel Magic **Sustained: Death Vortex *'Entropy Spells:' **Activated: Death Hex, Misdirection Hex, Despair, Sleep *'Dalish Pariah:' **Activated: Ensnare, Deep Wounds **Sustained: Blood of the First, Loss of the Dales, Arlathan's Grace **Passive: Solidarity |-|Archer= Varric Tethras Varric wields Bianca, his very special repeating crossbow with a bayonet and several runes (fire, ice, lightning, and spirit), and wears his Armored Leather Duster, which increases his attack. Varric's main function is party support, with most of his abilities dealing average damage with several additional effects. His Archery tree gives his crossbow Bianca several abilities that disorient, slow down, and knockback foes, as well as cloak his allies. With his Scoundrel trees, Varric can either exploit distracted enemies or manipulate their perception of himself or his allies. Most of Varric's damaging talents come from his Marksman tree, which deal devastating damage and provide bonuses to his offensive abilities. Abilities: *'Archery Talents:' **Activated: Shattering Arrow, Smoking Arrow, Rapid Pinning Shot, Disorienting Shot, Storm of Arrows, Punishing Lance *'Scoundrel Talents:' **Activated: Invisible Friend, Brand, Corral, Truce **Passive: Blindside, Twist the Knife, Follow-Through *'Marksman:' **Activated: Nameless Grace, Backlash **Sustained: Embellishment **Passive: Well-Oiled, Overtime, Authorized Biographer |-|Magehunter= Carver Hawke Carver wields The Celebrant, a greatsword that increases stamina and threat generation, and wears the Knight-Corporal Plate, plate armor that increase health and health regeneration. Carver serves as the primary tank, and he does so not by staying alive but by venting his inferiority complex frustration into each sword swing. His Two-Handed talents let him inflict devastating and aggressive blows with each swing, letting strike deceptively far and sundering his foes. With his Warmonger talents, Carver draws his enemies' aggression by taunting them by being a total ass, but also has talents that increase his damage as more foes surround him. Carver's entire usefulness, however, stems from his Templar talents; these let him prevent foes from using talents, cleansing areas of spells, and being especially resistant to magic. Abilities: *'Two-Handed Talents:' **Activated: Killer Blow, Shattering Blow, Reaper, Tornado **Passive: Giant's Reach, Sunder *'Warmonger Talents:' **Activated: Pommel Blow, Aftershock, Quake, Bellow **Sustained: Bravura, Bravado *'Templar Talents:' **Activated: Lasting Cleanse, Lingering Silence, Righteous Smite, Staggering Smite **Passive: Righteous Strike, Annulment |-|Tank= Aveline Vallen Aveline wields the Glandivalis, a longsword that may enslave normal enemies upon hit and increases Aveline's attack, and the Shield of the Resolute, which increases her resistance to magic, and wears Guard-Captain's Ranked Plate, plate armor that increases her attack and defense. What Aveline may lack in pure offensive power, she totally compensates in her invulnerability. Her Sword and Shield talents provide her only offensive abilities, but also give her several abilities that prevent foes from taking advantage by flanking or sneaking up on her. Her Defender talents offer her several defensive boosts, whether from magical or melee attacks, with her Warmonger talents designed to draw attentions away from her allies. Finally, her Guardian tree lets her sacrifice movement for pure defensive power, and in doing so gives her the opportunity to absorb damage from weaker allies. Abilities: *'Weapon and Shield Talents:' **Activated: Pummel, Scatter **Sustained: Shield Wall **Passive: Perception, Safeguard *'Defender Talents:' **Activated: Stonewall **Sustained: Raise the Guard, Steady the Foot, Elemental Shroud **Passive: Resolute, Resilience, Adamant *'Warmonger Talents:' **Activated: Bellow **Sustained: Bravura, Bravado *'Guardian:' **Activated: Retribution **Sustained: Bodyguard, Unstoppable **Passive: Thick Skin, Indomitable, Serve and Protect |-|Healer= Anders Anders wields the Torch of Falon'Din, a staff that deals fire damage and increases potency of fire spells, and wears the Renegade's Coat, a coat that increases his resistance to magic. Although Anders' primary role is as a healer, he occupies a unique space where he can both protect his allies and still deal powerful damage when given the opportunity. Anders uses parts of the Elemental tree to give him limited area of effect options, and his Arcane spells let him halt foes in their tracks while also protecting himself and his allies. His Creation spells are his most useful, giving him the ability to heal one ally at a time, boost their defensive and offensive power, and increase their speed. His Vengeance tree is a double-edged sword, literally; He can either activate a mode that makes him a more effective healer (letting him even revive allies from the dead), or he can give into the spirit of Justice, which increases his damage at the cost of decreased defenses. Abilities: *'Elemental Spells:' **Activated: Winter's Blast, Searing Fireball, Deep Freeze *'Arcane Spells:' **Activated: Stunning Blast, Paralyzing Prison, Barrier **Sustained: Arcane Wall, Elemental Shield *'Creation Spells:' **Activated: Greater Heal, Great Haste **Sustained: Valiant Aura *'Vengeance:' **Activated: Regroup, Aid Allies, Martyr **Sustained: Wrath, Panacea **Passive: Blood of My Enemy, Swift Justice, Eye to Eye |-|Rogue= Isabella Isabella wields the Carta's Left Hand, a dagger that reduces attack spped and movement, and Finesse, a dagger that increases critical damage, and wears the Threads of the Eastern Seas, a corest that increases her critical chance. Befitting her wily nature and speed, Isabela utilizes stealth and speed to serve as the party's primary melee damager. Her Dual Daggers tree ensures that she can quickly overwhelm an enemy from health, often striking decisive critical blows. With talents from the Subterfuge tree, Isabela disappears into the shadows, drawing enemies' attention away from her and even her allies. She borrows a talent from the Scoundrel tree that lets her do greater damage to opponents not attacking her, while her Swashbuckler tree provides opportunities to inflict her precise onslaught on a larger amount of enemies. Abilities: *'Dual Weapon Talents:' **Activated: Murder, Merciless Strike, Twin Fangs **Sustained: Maim **Passive: Unforgiving Chain *'Scoundrel Talents:' **Activated: Back-to-Back **Passive: Blindside, Twist the Knife *'Subterfuge Talents:' **Activated: Camouflage, Silent Running, Tactical Withdrawal, Chameleon's Breath **Passive: Subtlety, Ambush, Lingering Shroud *'Swashbuckler:' **Activated: Below the Waterline, Shore Leave **Sustained: Buccaneer's Savvy **Passive: Thumbs Up, Experienced Hands, Sea Legs |-|Vanguard= Fenris Fenris wields the Blade of Mercy, a greatsword that increases attack speed, and wears Grafted Spirit Hide, a leather cuirass that increase his attack. Since his ego is equally fragile, Fenris utilizes talents that allow him to do overwhelm as many enemies as he can in a brief timespan. His Two-Handed talents give him crowd control talents, do significant damage to any clustered enemies. With his Vanguard talents, Fenris can briefly enhance his raw damage output with each blow, while his Battlemaster talents let him restore his stamina and provide his offensive bonuses to his allies in a pinch. Finally, his Tevinter Fugitive talents give him one much needed defensive boost, while also giving him several abilities that ensure that he dishes out as much damage as he receives before falling. Abilities: *Two-Handed Talents:' **Activated: Shattering Blow, Reaper, Whirlwind **Passive: Giant's Reach, Sunder *Vanguard Talents:' **Activated: Claymore, Beseige **Sustained: Control, Muscle **Passive: Massacre, Destroyer *Battlemaster Talents:' **Activated: Rally, Bolster **Sustained: Hero's Synergy **Passive: Deep Reserve *Tevinter Fugitive:' **Activated: Spirit Flux **Sustained: Lyrium Specter **Passive: Veneer of Calm, Inner Reserves, Battle Tempo, Deflect, Enemy of My Enemy X-Factors X-Factor- The Warden's Party / Hawke's Party Teamwork- 80 / 90 The Warden and his party often take advantage of each other's abilities, but more often than not they simply focus on their assigned role in combat. While this certainly makes them more effective in pitched battles, they simply don't focus on trying to set each other up. Hawke and his companions, however, thrive on crossing spells and talents to overwhelm foes as quickly as possible. Combos are a key component of the party's strategy, with every spell, talent, and even basic strike designed so that it creates an opportunity for another companion to exploit. Stamina- 85 / 70 With the acting king of Ferelden against them as well as the entire horde of Darkspawn, the Warden's Party not only has the superior stamina physically, but they are all prepared to enter combat for long periods of time without pause. From travelling through the Carta's entire criminal hideout to battling through the Lake Calenhad's demon-infested tower, the Warden's Party is used to pursuing their mission without pause. Hawke's Party, meanwhile, has been designed to be the aggressor; constantly overwhelming foes with area of effect spells, and they often face far smaller numbers of foes in shorter time periods. When forced to drag out fights, Hawke's Party starts to falter in terms of raw damage output. Experience- 90 / 80 Travelling all across the nation of Ferelden, the Warden and his companions have faced a gigantic variety of foes. Not only do they face the typical darkspawn and criminals, but they've tangled with werewolves, golems, dragons, and ents sylvans, as well as the forces of Loghain. Hawke's Party certainly has time on their side- Hawke's decade of experience over the Warden's short year- but the variety simply doesn't compensate when most of their foes utilize the same strategies and are significantly weaker. Tactics- 80 / 85 Both parties utilize several tactics and strategies that are designed to be as thorough and adaptable as possible. The Warden and his companions all have specific roles, with everyone working together as a professional unit that operates with precision and decisive control. Hawke's Party takes a slight edge, in that regard; not only does everyone have a role to play, but a huge aspect of their strategy is working together and taking advantage of opponents already weakened by allies. Notes *Battle takes place in Kirkwall. *Although every party member is put into a category, do not base edges solely on the one-on-one categories; this is one eight versus eight, not eight one versus ones. *Once again, I strongly advise one follow each of the links provided above to learn the exact nature of every spell and talents to be properly informed. Battle In an abandoned port in Rivain, two parties walk slowly towards each other. Stepping forward first was the Champion of Kirkwall, Hawke. On the other end, the Hero of Ferelden known only as the Warden did as well. "Surely it doesn't have to be this way?" The Warden shook his head, before drawing his longsword and shield. His party behind him did likewise, preparing themselves for combat. "Not a very talkative fellow, are you?" Hawke grimaced, drawing his staff, with his companions equipping their weapons too. Hawke was the first to attack, casting Paralyzing Hemorrhage just as the Warden and Merrill cast their own spells. All of the Warden's party save Oghren and the Warden himself immediately started convulsing and trembling as Hawke's magic twisted their blood against them. Merrill cast Chain Reaction, further shocking the Warden's Party and dealing damage. The Warden's own Blood Wound managed to halt the advancing members of Hawke's Party, but Merrill quickly dispelled the magic while Anders cast Aid Allies. The dwarven warrior cast Cleanse Area, halting the area of effect spells as he charged forward with his maul. Aveline went out to meet him, activating Retaliation and Raise the Guard as she does so. Meanwhile, the Warden instantly casts Mana Clash against Hawke and Merrill; the latter instantly fell, while Hawke struggled to regain his composure. Morrigan cast a Death Hex on Hawke, and Leliana finished him off with a swiftly aimed Critical Shot. With all the mages down, Wynne cast Grease around all of the remaining members of Hawke's Party as the Warden cast Fireball. The combination wreaked havoc, taking down an unprepared Isabela and weakening Fenris. Leliana's Scattershot further peppered away at the party, with Fenris falling down. Sensing how powerful the Warden was, Carver used Lingering Silence on the mage. He leaped forward with Reaper, charging forward swinging his greatsword. Although Morrigan was left staggered by the blow, instincts learned from ancient Arcane Warriors prepared the Warden, letting him easily parry the sword swing. Confident, the Warden looked in shock as Carver used Lasting Cleanse. Left without his sustained spells, the Warden began to engage Carver in a secluded dual as the battle raged on. Oghren closed in on Anders, who cast Winter's Blast just as Oghren came within axe range. The frozen warrior could do nothing as Anders cast Cone of Cold, leaving him freezing and brittle. Varric spotted the opportunity, aiming Bianca and using Bursting Arrow- the explosive bolt obscured Anders while taking the weakened Oghren down. Forgotten in the thick of combat, Wynne cast Group Heal on the party, letting them all regain their composure and enter fully into the battle. "Come after me! I'm the one you want!" Aveline yelled, taunting the Warden's Party to engage. Sten and Zevran immediately targeted Aveline, who stood firm and composed despite the overwhelming amount of attackers. Every blow the warriors struck her did little to harm her, while Zevran's axes barely made a dent in her armor no matter the angle. Activating Unstoppable, the Warden's allies and their attacks proved fruitless as she weathered the onslaught. The Warden and Carver remained completely focused on their private dual, neither gaining ground. Although the Warden had managed to reactivate his sustained spells, Carver's Templar training prevented him from casting any other spells. Likewise, Carver found himself equally matched against the Warden; he tried an overhead swing, but the Warden sidestepped it and thrusted his longsword. Carver lowered his blade, catching it, and attempted to strike at him with the pommel. The Warden dodged it by leaning backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow. Taking advantage of the brief space in distance, the Warden cast Stonefist. The earthy projectile slammed into Carver, who only barely managed to remain standing as he stumbled back from the blow. Before he could reengage the Warden, a taunt echoed across the battlefield. Loghain had used Taunt, unintentionally drawing Varric's ire as well as Carver's. The dwarf let loose a volley of bolts from Bianca as Carver moved in with Reaper, the arrows and sword briefly disorienting the general. Recovering just in time to block a sword swing from Carver, Loghain gestured to the archer as he parried Carver's thrust. Morrigan registerd Loghain's request, casting a Vulnerability Hex on Varric. The rogue quickly fled with Back-to-Back, disappearing into the shadows beside Carver before the Warden could cast Winter's Grasp. Unfortunately, that was the moment Loghain used War Cry, knocking both down to the ground. Left outside of stealth, Morrigan cast a Winter's Grasp at the same moment the Warden used Crushing Prison. Left frozen and instantly shattered by both spells, Varric fell. "Carver, I'm starting to falter!" The Templar looked over to see Aveline's defense beginning to waver. Her counterstrikes, once powerful and decisive, were now sluggish and weak. He watched as Zevran easily avoiding each blow, ducking underneath or around them to counter with a swiftly aimed backstab. Arrows from Leliana covered her shield and armor, while Sten's sundering blows forced her on the defensive. Before Carver could engage to help her, the Warden and Loghain both attacked Carver simultaneously. He narrowly avoided both their blows, using Whirlwind to maintain distance. The mage healer, who'd previously been focusing on the guard, cast Heal on Carver. At that moment, he finally used Regroup. Knitting together the flesh and bone of his party, everyone in Hawke's Party rose up again to continue the battle. Surprised, the Warden's companions quickly fell victim to an onslaught. Varric started with Zevran, disorienting him with a Pinning Shot. Aveline quickly took advantage, using the last of her energy to use Scatter. The blow knocked Sten away from her, while outright killing Zevran as her blade slashed across his throat. Already left weakened by his Aura of Pain, Sten was massacred as a resurrected Fenris swooped in and thrust his hand into his chest, silencing the Qunari. Isabella, cloaked in stealth, had snuck behind the duo of Morrigan and Leliana. She used Shoreleave, stunning both of them as she weaved between them with several backstabs. Morrigan fell quickly after as Merrill used her own Death Hex, while Leliana only managed to loose a single missed arrow at the pirate before her blade sank into her back. Only the Warden and Loghain remained firm, remaining on the offensive as Carver barely fought them both off. The rest of Hawke's team converged, with Fenris and Isabela going after the Warden while Merrill, Varric, and Hawke focused their fire on Loghain. The elf swung down with his greatsword, intending to use that as a distraction to repeat his previous kill. The Warden, prepared, instead parried the blow and bashed his shield into Fenris' face. Left stunned, the Warden then cast Blood Slave. "You...cannot...control-" Fenris struggled, before the Warden's overwhelmingly powerful blood magic forced the ex-slave to be his thrall. "Shit, they got Broody!" Varric yelled, only for Hawke to smirk. "They can keep him." Anders smiled as well, deactivating Panacea and reactivating Vengeance. "I've always wanted to do this." The healer cast Searing Fireball as Hawke used Tempest, the knockback of the former sending Loghain and the Warden to the floor. The lightning strikes shocked them both, but the mind-controlled Fenris escaped the spells. Lashing forward with his greatsword at Anders, he cleaved the healer in two. Activating his Lyrium Tattoos, he pursued Hawke and Merrill next. The elf took that chance to cast Dispel Magic, deactivating all of the Warden's sustained spells. She backtracked as Fenris stabbed at her, casting bolts of magic to defend herself. Activating Wrath of the Elvhen, roots and stones sprung from the earth to assault the warrior. Merrill then cast a Misdirection Hex, with Fenris' sword swings missing her with every strike. Merrill then cast Dessicate, trapping him in stone, which allows Varric to finish him with a Bursting Arrow. Both Grey Wardens struggled to stand, with Isabella and Aveline leaping into the fray between them. The former slashes several times into Loghain, her daggers slicing through every chink in his armor and his entire face. Waiting as Merrill cast Walking Bomb, Isabela lept in to finish Loghain. She finished it off the chain of attacks with a Explosive Strike, ripping into his face and skull. The Warden himself fought valiantly against foes on all fronts, parrying sword blows from Aveline and Carver while blocking bolts from Varric's crossbow. Isabela disappeared into stealth, briefly decloaking as she prepared to assault from behind. Before she could deliver the killing blow, the briefly forgotten Wynne cast Stinging Swarm on the rogue. Mosquitoes and insects converged onto the pirate, who's screams of pain warned the Warden of her prescence. Bashing his shield into Aveline, he turned around and cast Winter's Grasp on her. Wynne then cast Stonefist, shattering her into several frozen peices. "Isabela! NO!" Hawke yelled. Varric and Merrill looked at their friend in grief, who's sobs were replaced with a roar of rage. "Wynne, get the others back up now!" Just as Wynne cast Revivval, Hawke gave in entirely to his Blood Magic. He cast Firestorm, ordering Varric and Merrill to do so as well. The combined onslaught of bolts, arcane fire, and dark blood magic easily crumpled the old woman, who used her last ounce of strength to revitalize her recently resurrected allies with Group Heal. Both sides left without their healer, the two parties separated as the Warden used Mind Blast to gain space between himself and the warriors assailing him. The Warden reactivated his Blood and Combat Magic, his body entering into the Fade as he looked at his allies. Hawke did the same, twirling his staff and examining his own companions. "Tell me if you want to slow down; it gets crazy from here." Looking across the scorched, bloody battlefield at their respective opponents, the Warden and Hawke's Party began the fight renewed. Oghren activated his Berserk, taunting and challenging the young Templar to attack him. Carver obliged, leaping forward with Scythe and slashing outward in a wide arc. Oghren absorbed the blow, using the chance to close the distance. He smacked the boy with the pommel of his maul, before swinging it underneath his legs. Left stunned and disoriented by the sudden onslaught and raw strength behind Oghren's blows, the templar fell onto his rear. Looking up, Carver screamed as Oghren used Final Blow; the maul promptly smahed into Carver, reducing his head to a bloody pulp and splattering his allies in his blood. Meanwhile, Leliana and Varric were both trading arrow after arrow against each other. The storyteller kept moving, disappearing and reappearing beside allies to prevent the bard from obtaining a good shot. He unleashed bolt after bolt from Bianca, but she stood her ground. She held her Defensive Fire and Aim, only moving slightly and gracefully to avoid Varric's counters. She used Mark of Death when he was exposed, hindering him. She drew her last arrow, pulled back the bow, and let loose with an Arrow of Slaying. The arrow ripped clean through the dwarf's hairy chest. The arrow flew through him, reappearing as it sailed through his back and planted his heart firmly into the wall. Aveline firmly held her ground, desperately trying to draw the onslaught of damage her friends were taking to herself. Proving to be her downfalll, saddled already from the sustained stamina draw from her other abilities, she sluggishly thrusted her sword at Loghain. He swatted it aside, using his mace to break her sword arm. Before she could even react, Loghain used Assault, slamming his shield directly into her face. The first blow stunned her, the second knocked her unconscious, the third broke her neck from the impact, and the fourth and most destructive blow smashed the front of her skull inwards. The Witch of the Wilds made short work of her Dalish adversary- casting first a Misdirection and Death Hex, she left the elf unable to retaliate against her. Shapeshifting into a Bereskearn, the mage charged at her and rammed her shoulder into Merrill. Tearing at her with claws and teeth, Morrigan stood proudly over the mutilated elf. Mumbling feebly to her Dalish gods, Merrill could do nothing as Morrigan finished her off by ripping out chunks of her throat. Finally, the Warden advanced towards Hawke. Left alone and without a chance at survival, Hawke unleashed every spell he possibly could at the mage before him. Arcane fire, primal blasts of lighting, shards of ice, and gravity itself pushed against the Warden, who only slowed slightly at the magical onslaught. The Warden, in retaliation, just cast Crushing Prison, ending the spellfury altogether as Hawke struggling against the enclosing magic pushing into him. Hawke struggled and looked at the Warden, his face obscured by his helmet. "Isn't this the part where you say "Any last words?", and then I-" Interrupted, Hawke's smirk disappeared instantly as the Warden casually thrust his sword into Hawke's stomach. Expert's Opinion The Warden's Party was far too powerful, too well-coordinated, and too experienced for Hawke's Party to even hope to stand a chance against. While Hawke's Party had marginal advantages in combing their talents and spells into an element of synergy, this pales in comparison to the Warden's Party, who could easily fight either as individuals or as a cohesive unit. Category:Blog posts